


Surprising Company

by Merfilly



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: M/M, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-14
Updated: 2007-01-14
Packaged: 2017-12-05 18:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce is there for Dick when he needs him</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surprising Company

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ilyena_sylph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/gifts).



"Where's Tim?"

"Seminar." The younger man looked over at his mentor settling into a chair with the newspaper. "Figured you'd be there too."

"Not today." The voice was clipped, precise, weighing no more importance to this day than any other.

Unlike the way it felt for Dick. It had been this same day several years ago that the original Titans decided their team was not working, and walked away from one another. Dick could place a lot of changes in how they all acted at the feet of that decision, knew that walking away from his friends had left them all without support they needed.

He flinched out of his memories as Bruce suddenly joined him, sitting right beside him next to the fire.

"Remembering your friends, today." Bruce's voice was actually touched with concern. "Thinking about how things might have been different if you had stayed together then, instead of going separate ways."

Dick stared at his mentor in surprise; he had been sure such a date would have been too unimportant to be noted. "Yeah. We all took a beating, until we came back together. Some worse than others." His eyes darkened, remembering Roy's near loss to them.

"You learned from it." The words were not said harshly, and Bruce shifted, making his position more inviting. Dick hesitated, then gave over to the offered comfort, moving close and letting the present seep away. For just a minute, he was still small enough, young enough to garner that rare hug from Bruce, the offered comfort of being hidden inside the cape, smell of armor under his nose as he was consoled. The moments that had been that intense had been so rare, but they were vivid in Dick's memory.

"We can't change the past," Dick reminded himself. "But I already see so much hurt in the latest Titans," he added, feeling Bruce's arm settle along his shoulders. They both stared into the fire, growing silent for a long time. When the silence broke, it was to Bruce, with a carefully measured tone.

"We can't change the things that shaped us. But we can help shape them better, Dick. The world's harsher…but I think we all learned the same lesson your team learned." Bruce let himself lean closer, inhaling the scent of Dick's hair briefly. "Even I learned the burden is easier to handle once it is shared."

That quiet admission, the sheer open language of Bruce's body, his touch…all of it and Dick's memories rolled into a soft surrender of his guards. And for the first time in years, Bruce held Dick again, letting him release the lingering pains of the events they had all suffered. The often stoic man had vowed not to fail again, had stared into the chasm of all his slights and insults to Dick over the years, knew just where he had made the mistakes the instant Dick had leaped in the way of that shot from Alexi Luthor.

Dick would never know that cold man again, Bruce vowed, when Dick's body eased into the half asleep posture of a man fully wrung out with grieving. The elder man waited just a moment more, then pulled Dick up, guiding him to bed. Dick obeyed by force of long habit, not even managing a token protest when Bruce settled him to sleep.

Later would be soon enough to question the fact Bruce laid beside him, staying close to ward off the nightmares.


End file.
